


From a Child

by HugAZombie



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Daddy!Arthur, Kid!Gwaine, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-15
Updated: 2012-09-15
Packaged: 2017-11-14 06:57:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/512563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HugAZombie/pseuds/HugAZombie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or, where Gwaine's daddy steals his future 'wife' from him, and he is quite okay with that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From a Child

**Author's Note:**

> The title comes from the saying "Taking candy from a baby."
> 
> Merlin belongs to the BBC, not me unfortunately.
> 
> And there may be a second chapter from Arthur or Merlin's POV.
> 
> This is UNBETA'd

Gwaine Pendragon is just that – a Pendragon. And Pendragons get what they want, that's what his daddy always told him, and what he wants is his pretty teacher, with the large ears and smile and games and sweets. Mr. Emrys, or Merlin (Gwaine had glared at those who giggled at the name, because Gwaine himself had an odd name and he didn't like them laughing at his future wife in such a way. It was mean) as he said to call him, is everything Gwaine wanted in a wife. He has heard his daddy talk about the perfect wife, how they should be pretty and nice and kind.

Merlin is all those things and more.

Merlin never got angry when Gwaine squirted paint all over him after leaning on the fallen over bottle. Merlin never yells when Gwaine gets a little rowdy during story time and starts acting out the scenes, complete with battle roars and growly monsters. Merlin never gets all red in the face when Gwaine pouts and whines over the yucky vegetables in his gross school dinner, only asks him nicely to eat _at least a little bit, please, for me._ Merlin never shoves Gwaine off to someone else when he gets hurt, or cries in frustration or anger or pain like his mummy used to before she went away and left him and daddy alone.

Not only that, but Merlin is _magic_ at games. He will happily be 'it' in chasing games in the playground, or the poor captured princess that Gwaine has to rescue with his fellow knights (Gwaine always liked that game best), or be the finder in hide and seek. He will always do the funny voices when reading (just like his daddy did!) and always listens to Gwaine's own stories with the right amount of awe. Merlin will finger paint and glitter and colour with him, and build sandcastles in the pit with him and splash in the water. Merlin will praise his drawings and his writing and not get a bit angry at any of the class.

He will be the perfect wife.

Gwaine just bets that Merlin would make cakes and sweets and hot chocolate all the time, and listen to him always and never leave him or get angry with him like his mummy used to before daddy made her leave.

So, it is decided. Merlin is going to be Gwaine's wife. Now all Gwaine has to do is tell him.  
  
\--  
Gwaine is squirming a little in excitement as his daddy shows him one more time how to tie his shoe laces. Gwaine isn't really paying attention and he hears his daddy sigh.

"What's got you all wriggly, kid?"

Gwaine blinks up at his daddy and grins widely. "I am going to tell Merlin that I'm going to marry him," he proclaims proudly.

His daddy stares down at him before snorting in laughter and shaking his head. "Doesn't Merlin get a say in this?" His daddy, of course, knows all about Merlin. Gwaine had made sure he did – he doesn't want his daddy to disapprove after all.

Gwaine shrugs a little. "He likes me best anyway. He always paints with me first. Of course he is going to want to marry me."

There is that snort-laugh again, the kind that his daddy does when he doesn't want Gwaine to know he's laughing, and he grabs his daddy's offered hand. His daddy gazes down at him fondly.

"Of course he does, short-stuff, everyone likes Pendragons best. _Especially_ future wives. "

Gwaine beams up at his daddy again. He loves his daddy.

"Now get in the car, the sooner you do, the sooner you can tell Merlin your plans."

Gwaine scrambles into the back seat hurriedly.  
\---

"Now, you've got your snacks and book bag, haven't you?"

Gwaine waves them in front of his daddy's face, nearly hitting his dad with the red book bag. His daddy smiles, ducking a little to avoid the swing, before settling back on his hunches.

"And you have your homework? You gotta impress Merlin after all, or he'll say no." His daddy looks at him pointedly and Gwaine pouts.

"Yeah I got the stupid homework."

His daddy ruffles his hair. "Good boy. Now, behave and sweep your fair lady off his feet."

"Daaaaad, Merlin isn't a _girl._ Girls are icky. Merlin isn't."

There is a familiar laugh from behind him and Gwaine spins around in glee.

"I am glad to hear that I'm not icky," Merlin says with a grin down at his student. "But Miss Elena might be a little upset."

Gwaine wrinkles his nose. Then shrugs. Then turns to his daddy, who is staring at his Merlin strangely. Gwaine looks back at Merlin and sees the same kind of expression on his face.

He turns back to his daddy and tugs on his sleeve. "Daddy, this is Merlin."

That seems to break his daddy out of his stillness and his daddy smiles at his teacher, holding out his hand for Merlin to shake like he does for his business friends who come over for dinner sometimes.

"Merlin, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Arthur, Gwaine's father." They grasp hands and Gwaine watches with a grin. His daddy seems to approve, if the smile is anything to go by.

Gwaine claps his hands happily.

"I've heard a lot about you," his daddy says and Merlin blushes nicely, like Freya did when Will gave her a daisy yesterday in the playground. Merlin doesn't run away and giggle like Freya did, though.

Which is a good thing, 'cause then Gwaine would have to angry at his daddy for doing something to Merlin and sending him away.

He doesn't want that.

"Glad to meet you, Arthur," Merlin is saying. The blush is still there. Their hands are still touching, which Gwaine finds a little strange, as usually his daddy would've let go by now if it was one of his business friends.

He shrugs it off.

"Gwaine tells me a lot about you, as well. You've raised him well."

Now they let go and his daddy rubs the back of his neck. "Thanks, he can be a bit of a handful at times, but I wouldn't change him for the world." His daddy's hand comes to rest on his shoulder and Gwaine smiles up at him. Gwaine wouldn't change him either... and he probably wouldn't change his daddy either.

Merlin just laughs, eyes glittering like they always do and his daddy says a bad word under his breath.

"I should go, work and all that. It was, um, nice meeting you Merlin. I'll hopefully see you later."

Merlin seems to be weighing something up in his head before he nods. "Hopefully. Goodbye Arthur." He turns to Gwaine and his smile strengthens. "Come on Gwaine; let's see what I've got in store for you today, hmm?"

Gwaine jumps and nods exaggeratedly, taking Merlin's hand and turning to wave goodbye to his daddy, who is still staring after them with an expression that Gwaine doesn't recognise.  
\---  
"You're going to marry me," Gwaine declares at lunch that same day. He is poking at the runner beans on his plate with a grimace and Merlin is sitting with him, Freya, Will and Percy. Will has packed lunches and Gwaine eyes his chocolate bar jealously.

"Am I really," Merlin asks as he cuts his own vegetables into bite size pieces. His smile is nice and Gwaine nods, even as Freya giggles into her cup of juice and Percy kicks Will under the table.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm a Pendragon and Pendragons get what they want."

"Do they really? Well, I may consider it if you eat some of those vegetables for me."

Gwaine glares down at his vegetables, but at Merlin then back to the offending items on his tray. He sighs.

" _Fine_ ," he huffs. "But only for you." He narrows his eyes at the green thing before forcing it into his mouth unhappily.

Love is _hard._  
\------

His daddy takes to dropping him off at school a little early each day that he can, which Gwaine can only approve of. That means he gets times with Merlin before all the other kids turn up and takes his attention away. Sometimes, when he can, daddy will come into the classroom with them and together Gwaine, daddy and Merlin will play blocks or cars or something. Sometimes daddy and Merlin will talk about boring grown-up stuff but most times they all just talk together about films and books and places and holidays and _everything._ And Gwaine loves it because his daddy obviously loves Merlin too and therefore won't be annoyed when Gwaine marries him when he is a bit older and eats his vegetables and does his homework without any complaining.

Gwaine really couldn't ask for better.  
\---

Except he _does_ get better. The school year has just finished and he most likely won't get Merlin for a teacher again. When the last day came, Gwaine cried and cried and cried –he had just given Merlin a 'Best Teacher' mug and teddy bear that his daddy had helped him pick out yesterday after school and Merlin had thanked him and then Gwaine had cried.

Merlin had looked a little sad himself and pulled the boy into a hug to sooth him.

"It's alright, Gwaine," he whispered, patting his back comfortingly. "You'll still see me, don't you worry." Merlin pulled back and tapped Gwaine on the nose with his finger. "Stop those tears; we want today to be good, don't we? We are having a party after all."

Gwaine sniffed mightily before nodding his head slowly. "Good." Merlin stood and stroked his hair just once before gently pushing him towards his seat and addressing the class.

At the end of the day, when his daddy came to pick him up, Gwaine had clung to Merlin and didn't want to leave.

"Marry me!" It was a demand and Merlin had smiled down at him.

"You will see me, Gwaine. Now, let go and go with your daddy, and then the next time you see me will come quicker."

Gwaine had pouted and complained and whined in the car on the way home. His daddy had looked at him sympathetically but with a strange light glint in his eye, and made him pancakes and let him watch whatever film he wanted.

And it is a week after that, that it get so much better than Gwaine ever thought it could be.

Merlin came to their _house!_

And they played and sang and read and played again and laughed and joked and played and everything, and it was amazing! Merlin and daddy put him to bed together and Gwaine and snuggled into his Batman covers happily.

It is later, when he wakes thirsty, that he slips downstairs to find his daddy and Merlin on the sofa in the living room, some boring film his daddy likes on the TV. Except that isn't what Gwaine focused on. What he focuses on is the fact that Merlin and daddy are _kissing!_

_Kissing!_

Gwaine blinks, the initial indignation at the fact flaring before dying and instead he is grinning cheerily.

Okay, so he may not have Merlin as his wife (he doesn't want to hurt his daddy after all, by forcing Merlin to admit his preference) but he can have Merlin as his mummy instead.

He can still make cakes and play and tell stories that way. He can still be Gwaine's in a way that he won't be anyone else's, even his daddy.

Gwaine nods to himself and shuffles towards the kitchen.

Yes, instead of his perfect wife, Merlin can be his perfect mummy.

Gwaine smiles.


End file.
